


Dress Like You Used To

by LadyBrooke



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-10
Updated: 2017-04-10
Packaged: 2018-10-17 03:06:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10585137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBrooke/pseuds/LadyBrooke
Summary: Gereth ties up her hair, grabs Elwing, and hopes she looks enough like she used to to trick them into thinking she is part of the force attacking Doriath.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written for Legendarium Ladies April, April 8, prompt "If they were women", the point of which is to take a character assumed to be male (in my case Gereth) and write them as female. I didn't answer most of the questions the prompt asked for, but I like this.

Gereth quickly braids her hair like she did when she was young, and then she picks up Elwing off the floor where she had told her to be quiet and not scream if any of the Noldor came this close.

Elwing is too young to realize that Gereth herself is one of the Noldor, that she used to be part of Fingon’s court before she met one of Thingol’s elves and fell in love, and more importantly, realized that in Doriath, Melian insisted on women having some opportunities, and therefore here she would be able to rise in the ranks as high as her abilities let her.  

So she left Fingon’s court and came here, and had already lived through another King’s death.

But now it is her people coming to slaughter her chosen people, and she is the one friend entrusted by Nimloth to see her daughter out – “If you dress like you used to, they’ll think you are one of them. Keep to the shadows, act like you are part of their force, and see my daughter to safety, if you can.” – which she will do if it’s the last thing she does.

Her hair is done, and she wears the same colors she did when she was part of Fingon’s court. Hopefully they will think she is one of the healers in their service if they spot her, at least as long as she doesn’t have to fight one of them.

She wraps Elwing in a blanket and straps her to her back.

Then they run, bolting through the forest, and she laughs bitterly when they reach the horses without being stopped, just because she looks like one of them.


End file.
